New Year, New Faces
by SpellPiper2213
Summary: Dipper and Mabel come back to Gravity Falls the summer after their...series of adventures to find a new girl working at the Mystery Shack. This is my first fanfiction, so don't hate!
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, I'm SpellPiper2213, and this is my first official fanfiction. Don't hate too much. Please.**

**This is set in the beggining of the summer of 2013, the year after the events of the **_**Gravity Falls**_ **T.V. series. I ow nothing save OCs, plot, and Stanley's personality. Hope you enjoy!**

Elia's P.O.V.

I opened the door to the Mystery Shack Gift Shop. A small bell jingled.

"That you, Elia?" Stanley Pines' voice called from the door marked Employees.

"Yeah, it's me, Junior," I called back, using my nickname for the younger brother of Stanford Pines. "8:05, as always."

Stanley came out the door. He was scratching his stubble with one of his six-fingered hands. "How come you're always here before 8:15? You know business doesn't start until 9:00."

I shrugged. "I wanted to do a bit of explorin' before business starts."

"Don't go too far," Stanley warned. "Strange creatures live in the forest."

"Stranger than gnomes that want me as their queen?" I asked.

"Stranger than gnomes that want you as their - hang on, _gnomes_? That want you as their _queen_? Honestly, that's a little laughable."

"Yeah," I said, glaring at the man. "Met a half-dozen of 'em two days ago. Beat them off with a stick. One of 'em kept saying 'Shmebulock'." I shuddered. "Odd things, them. Bloody unnatural."

Stanley groaned and held a hand to his face. "Elias Luna MacGibbon, you have to be more careful! There are much worse things than the gnomes of the forest. Gremoblins! The Gobblewonker! Manotaurs! The Multi-Bear! Undead! An alien!"

I waved the predictions of doom off. "Come on, Junior, Senior said that you spent six years cataloguing those things! Besides, nobody's seen an slien ship for years."

"Yes, and I was a thirty-year-old local man," Stanley pointed out. "You're a thirteen-year-old girl who's been here for two years."

I sighed in defeat. "That explains why you're always up at 7:26, sprinkling salt around the Shack."

"Anyway, Stanford's getting the kids right now, anyway, so you might not want to go too far," Stanley added, appearing to not have heard that last comment. Well, he's getting on in life, so I didn't comment on it. However, something Stanley had said _was_ worth commenting on.

"The kids?" I asked, intrigued.

"My grandchildren," Stanley said. "They're twins, just like me and Stanford. There's a boy and a girl, Mabel and Dipper, as he's nicknamed. They're your age."

"Why's he nicknamed Dipper?"

"He has a birthmark on his forehead that looks like the Big Dipper."

"Okay, that's cool," I said seriously. "Do you know when they'll be back?"

Stanley looked out the window. "Right now."

**So, there's the first chapter. I swear to the gods, I'll update as soon as I can.**

**If you don't know what **_**Gravity Falls**_ **is, a)I don't like you b)watch **_**Gravity Falls**_ **right now c)why the hell are you reading this?**

**Remember, reality is an illusion, the universe is a hologram, buy gold, bye! Remember, TRUST NO ONE (except your twin sister, if you have one. Otherwise...well, unless you have solid proof otherwise, just assume that everyone you meet is out to kill you, eat you, steal your stuff, get you working for them, or some random combination of the things I just listed. And, because I'm a person, don't fully believe a word that I say.)**


	2. Chapter 2

**Morning, Fellow Fallers, SP back, this time with even more Gravity Falls!**

**Sorry if I add more characters in than the description says. This website has a fixed amount of characters you can have in the description, so don't worry if I add several more characters into this story pretty soon.**

Dipper's P.O.V.

The first thing Mabel and I saw when we entered the Mystery Shack was our grandfather, Stanley Pines, the notorious Author of the Journals with six fingers on each hand. He pulled us into a hug.

"How're my favorite grandchildren?" he asked.

"We're your only grandchildren," I pointed out as Stanley put us down.

Stanley laughed. "If you insist. How're my only grandchildren?"

"We're great!" Mabel said enthusiastically. "We're older, and smarter, and taller-"

"Hold on a second," Grunkle Stan said, a mischievous smile on his face. "Let me get the measuring tape." He carefully drew out the yellow tape, and Mabel and I stood back-to-back in front of it. Grunkle Stan regarded our heights for a second before beggining to laugh.

"What's so funny, Grunkle Stan?" Mabel asked.

"Yeah, what is so funny?" Stanley asked.

Grunkle Stan couldn't speak, he was laughing so hard. Then, chortling, he said, "Mabel, sweetie, do you know that Dipper's taller than you?"

"Whaaat?" Mabel cried. "Nooo, that can't be! I was taller than him last summer!" I smirked at my sister, enjoying the new sense of power I'd just gotten

"Well, no offense, but he's obviously grown a little more than you 'ave in the past year, he bein' a maturin' boy," a new voice said. It was soft, with a definite accent, and feminine. I turned to look at the source of the voice, as did Mabel.

The speaker was a girl, no older than my sister and I. She was slightly stocky, with sharp blue eyes, slightly tanned skin, and neck-length brown hair that was slightly curly. She had an gray ivy cap on, along with a knee-length dark gray wool trenchcoat.

"Right," she said. "I'm guessing that you're the Pines twins Junior was telling me about a few minutes ago?"

Mabel and I nodded mutely. Then Mabel said, in typical Mabel fashion, "What's in the trenchcoat?"

The girl unbuttoned the 'coat and looked inside. "A lumberjack axe, a ball-peen hammer, three modern watches, a banana, and…" She reached into her outer pockets. "A golden pocket-watch. Oh, and a screwdriver." Her brow furrowed. "How'd that get in there?"

"Why do you have a banana?" I asked.

"Parties," the girl replied. "Always bring a banana to a party. And bananas are a good source of potassium." She scratched her head, brow still furrowed. "And they're smelly."

"Cool!" Mabel squawked happily. "I want a banana now!"

Grunkle Stan, Stanley, and I all held a hand to our foreheads and groaned.

**So, that was my second chapter in this story. And yes, that part in the end was indeed a **_**Doctor Who**_ **reference. In case you don't know what **_**Doctor Who**_ **is (which is highly unlikely, but possible), get on Netflix and look up the Ninth and Tenth Doctor. They'll give you the reference point.**

**SP away! (Leaps away, right into a newspaper stand, which collapses on me) I'm okay! Don't worry. Much. I like reading the newspaper.**


	3. Chapter 3

**Hey, guys, what's up? SP here with a new chapter in this Gravity Falls fanfic. However, before I begin, I'd like to give a shout-out to Sparky's Girl, who reminded me that if I didn't do some character development, I'd get a Mary Sue. *applauds* May the gods of Olympus protect you, my friend (yeah, I read your profile). Trust me, I'm not a stalker.**

**And now, without further ado, it's time for….THE GIDEON GLEEFUL SHOW!**

**Nah, I'm not that mean. Fortunately for you.**

Elia's P.O.V

Two weeks later found me up against a wall of my hideout, a run-down shop that I had patched up and revamped into a living space of sorts, at three in the morning, a flickering light on. The reason I was here? Well, to put it simply, my parents were arguing again, and Gravity Falls wasn't the best place to be at night. Especially with two weeks until Summerween.

I heard the bell on the door jingle. Immediately, my hand jumped to the knife on the mattress-side table. As quietly as I could, I crept to the peephole I had cut into the door marked "Employees" and peered out.

"H-hello? Is an-anyone in here?" Pacifica Northwest stammered quietly into the gloom of the shop front, a flashlight held in one trembling hand.

Nothing but the sight of Pacifica Northwest, the popular girl of Gravity Falls, scared to death could have caused me to lower the knife in amazement. I'd heard something about a rift that had formed between Pacifica and her parents after last year's Northwest party, but I hadn't really listened to those rumors. Now, however, I was beginning to believe them. I thought over my options, weighing each carefully.

Suddenly, a sound I didn't fully recognize reached my ears. I looked outside to see Pacifica sitting against a wall, crying softly. Of all sights I thought were unlikely, the sight of Pacifica Northwest, the stuck-up rich prat Pacifica with all the friends, crying alone in a run-down store was about as likely as the dinosaurs spontaneously arising from their stony graves. Which isn't what you would call exactly likely.

I opened the door quietly and entered the room, putting the knife down on the counter quietly. I sat down by Pacifica and asked hoarsely, "What's going on, Pacifica?"

Pacifica looked at me, screamed, and scooted away as fast as she could. Honestly, I couldn't blame her. I could guess what I looked like; ragged pajamas, bags under my red-rimmed eyes, bandaged forearms, a bruised jaw, wild hair.

"E-Elia? Wh-what are y-y-you d-doing here?" Pacifica asked, eyes still shiny with unshed tears, not even bothering with her nickname for me. (Coatrack. Don't ask."

"Same as you," I responded. "Gettin' away from my parents."

"Wha- How- Who-" Pacifica was at a loss for words, breaking up.

I stood up and hobbled over to Pacifica. "It's okay, mate. You're not alone."

"Why d-do you have those bandages?" Pacifica asked.

"Wh-" I looked down at my arms, realizing what Pacifica was talking about. "Oh, these? Well, my parents argue, I'm a little depressed, and there's a knife on th' counter. How'd'you think I got 'em?"

Pacifica shuddered. Then, "OhGodEliahelpmehelpmepleasehelpIthinkI'mgoinginsane.." The blonde-haired girl collapsed against me, crying her heart out on my shoulder.

I paused for a moment, thinking about how awkward it was that Pacifica Northwest was crying into my shoulder and asking me for help, me of all people. Why me? I was just a quiet know-it-all with a weird fashion sense who sat in the back of class. Kinda like Hermione Granger in the first few chapters you know her in _The Sorcerer's/Philosopher's Stone_. I smiled unconsciously at that, tightening my arm around Pacifica. Reaching for something to calm her down, I snatched at the first song that came to mind. I had memorized it a couple years ago, and I always sang it under my breath when I was feeling especially low;

_You must go where I cannot_

_Pangur Ban, Pangur Ban_

_Nil sa saol seo ach ceo_

_Is ni bheimid beo_

_Ach seal beag gearr_

_Pangur Ban, Pangur Ban_

_Nil sa saol seo ach ceo_

_Is ni bheimid beo_

_Ach seal beag gearr_

_You must go where I cannot_

_Pangur Ban, Pangur Ban_

_Nil sa saol seo ach ceo_

_Is ni bheimid beo_

_Ach seal beag gearr._

I squeezed my eyes and sat up. For a moment, I thought that the events of last night were a dream, but then I saw the blonde head of Pacifica right next to me. Oddly enough, she snored. Huh. Maybe I'll use that for blackmail later.

"Hey, Pacifica," I murmured, shaking the Northwest lightly. "Time to get up. Wakey, wakey."

Pacifica turned over. "Later," she slurred.

I looked at her, a little nonplussed. "Oi, Pacifica,' I hissed, "I'm Elia. You're in a run-down shop in downtown Gravity Falls. Your hair looks horrible."

The jibe had its desired effect. Pacifica jolted up, groaning as her blood started flowing again.

"Good morning," I asked pleasantly. "Have a nice sleep?"

"Actually, that was the best rest I've had in weeks," Pacifica said. She looked sidelong at me. "I guess I should thank you."

"Hey, _hakuna matata_," I said, smiling a bit. "You're the only person who knows what's goin' on inside my head. Likewise the other way." I chuckled grimly. "Everyone we can depend on is standin' in this room."

Pacifica smiled sadly at me. "You actually don't hate me?"

"I'm a Capricorn," I replied. "Even if I did hate you at some point, that feeling's dead an' gone. In any case, I actually kinda like you. Not for your money or reputation or any of that, but for who you really are. There's only one o' you, Pacifica Northwest. I'd be honored to call you my friend."

"Friend?" Pacifica asked blankly. I nodded. Pacifica stared at me. "Friend…" she said again. A small smile turned her mouth upwards. "You mean it?"

"As the powers that be watch over us be, it is," I said, placing a hand over my heart. "I don't let people sleep over easily."

Pacifica smiled up at me. "Want to come over to my house today?"

I looked at my watch. "_Scheiẞe_. I would have work today, but seeing as it's 11:36, why not?"

"You work here?" Pacifica asked. "In Gravity Falls.

"Yeah," I replied. "I work at the Mystery Shack, thinking up new 'exhibits'." I snorted with laughter.

"Is Dipper Pines there?" Pacifica asked.

I raised an eyebrow, deciding not to ask how Pacifica knew Dipper Pines. "Let's stop over there today, 'kay?"

**Wow, talk about a surprising chapter. **_**I**_ **didn't know this was coming. Okay, I had the general outline planned, but it was still really surprising.**

**The song I wrote up there is 'Aisling Song', from the (amazing) movie **_**Brendan and the Secret of Kells**_**. The reason the **_**Harry Potter**_ **title has two titles is for those of you from Europe, who have "Philosopher's" instead of "Sorcerer's", and for people in the U.S., who have it the other way around. I do not own either things. (In Alan Rickman's voice) Obviously.**

**Read my other fanfics, please!**


	4. Chapter 4

**Mornin', fellow Fallers! SP here, with another chapter in my Gravity Falls fanfic. Hope you enjoy!**

Dipper's P.O.V.

I was wandering the woods where I had found Journal 3 last year when I heard two girls coming towards me, conversing quietly. One of the voices I recognized as Elia's, the other one was..._Pacifica Northwest's_?

I walked towards the voices. Sure enough, Elia and Pacifica Northwest were walking through the forest towards the Mystery Shack, conversing. As I watched, Pacifica cracked a joke, and Elia chuckled, a smile lighting up her features.

"Pacifica?" I said, stepping out to where the two could see me.

Both of them jumped. Then, after seeing that it was me, Elia sighed in relief Pacifica gave a cry of "DIPPER!" and tackled me in a hug. Awkwardly, after my brain had processed that Pacifica Northwest was actually glad to see me, I hugged her back.

Over Pacifica's shoulder, I could see Elia smiling wanly at the pair of us. She looked horrible; the shadow of a bruise on her jaw, tired eyes, and bandages covering her forearms. Not unlike McGucket.

"You two look nice together," she said softly. "You're lucky to have Pacifica as your friend." She started walking away, towards the Mystery Shack. "You two can 'ave a bit o' time to yourselves."

"Elia, stay with us," Pacifica pleaded. "You and Dipper… You two are the only people who really know what my parents are like and what I'm going through."

Elia stopped with her back turned to us. Turning her head so that we could see only part of her face, she looked at us sidelong, studying us. I shivered. The cunning glint I could glimpse in the one eye I could see scared me a little.

"I hear that there's a creature down at the lake," she said. "Wanna stop by and check it out?"

"A creature in the lake?" I said, memory drifting back to the early events of last summer. It seemed like another life. No worries, just me, Mabel, and Soos on an lonely island, looking for the purported Gobblewonker lake monster. It had turned out to be an invention by the then-still clueless McGucket; still, the rumor of another monster, a _new_ monster, piqued my interest.

Pacifica punched me on the arm. "Well, nerd?" she asked. "Are we going?"

I smiled awkwardly.

"Well?" Elia called. "You two comin'? I ain't going to wait for you."

I thought over the other possibilities: working at the Mystery Shack, a place that I didn't really want to be; or going on an adventure with Pacifica Northwest and Elia MacGibbon. The choice was kinda obvious.

"I'm in," I said. "Let's go."

**Yeah, a bit of Dipicifica (or however you spell it), but I thought that it would be a nice addition to the story. As always, stay tuned, review (criticism is always helpful), and read my other fanfics.**

**SP out.**


	5. Chapter 5

**Wow. This is the best viewing day I've had thus far, with six more view at the time of print. Quite honestly, I didn't expect to have over 600 views of one fanfic in my first week of writing. Thank you, all of you!**

**Before I officially start, I'd like to thank MabelFan7779 for the funniest review I've seen yet on this fanfic. Thank you!**

Elia's P.O.V.

Ah, Summerween. The very word made me flinch with memories. In the two years I'd lived in Gravity Falls, neither of my Summerweens were very productive: arguing parents, mystery-addicted friends, bosses constantly in a state of cease-fire that might flare up again into an old war, a lot of blood on everyone's hands (fake, yes, but still blood), and too much candy for safety. Thus, I did what I always did on Summerween when the sun descended beneath the horizon; I climbed up to the top of the falls, took out a notebook and a sketchbook, and began write and draw. I wasn't very good at drawing, and my handwriting sucked, but it helped me pass the time.

Hours later, I woke from the light doze I had unintentionally drifted into. Sitting up, I yawned and rubbed my eyes. It wasn't very late; the moon was still rising, and I could see the light of Summerween melons glinting faintly on the streets below. Tiny forms moved like ants around the annoyingly angular streets.

A rustling sound from behind me caused me to look around. Something yellow and glowing caught my attention. I looked at it. Oddly enough, it looked like the pyramid on the back of dollar bills, except yellow and just kind of...floating there.

"Ummm…" I said.

The pyramid turned around and looked at me. It actually bloody _turned around_ and _looked at me_ with a single tan eye, again like on the dollar bill, save with a straight line for a pupil.

"Oh, ho, ho!" a nasal voice said from nowhere. "Look what we have here!" The pyramid flew towards me, causing me to jump backwards, and circled me, regarding me with its sole eye. I could see that the pyramid was 2-D and had two stick arms, two stick legs, and a top hat floating above its top point, all black "Hello, Llama! I don't think we've met," the nasal voice said again. The pyramid stuck out a hand. "The name's Bill, Bill Cipher." He tipped his hat courteously with his other hand.

"You're a floating yellow pyramid," I said, "with arms, legs, and a top hat."

The nasal voice laughed. "Who're ya kiddin'? Of course I am!" it said. Apparently, the pyramid had a voice, and an extremely annoying one, too.

"You appear to know me," I continued.

"Oh, I know lots of things, Llama" the pyramid, or Bill, as it referred to itself as, said. Suddenly, it expanded and darkened showing a lot of strange stuff that I never knew existed. "...lots of things," the voice said again, much deeper. Then Bill turned back into its original form, eye twinkling.

I stared at Bill, shaking my head. "Is this a dream, reality, or both?"

Bill emitted its insane laugh again, floating up into the air and closing its eye. "Who's to say it's any of those things?" it asked before turning serious. "Thing is, kid, I need some help. You seem like a nice specimen."

I chuckled mirthlessly, rolling my eyes. "Like hell some floating yellow pyramid's gonna get help from me."

Bill regarded me, heaving a surprisingly bitter sigh. "You're not going to cooperate, are you, Llama?"

"What gave you that idea?" I asked dryly, gathering up my stuff.

Bill sighed again. "Well, llamas always were stubborn." Then it stuck out its 2-D arms in front of it, the palms facing towards me.

I looked at the arms, then at Bill, then back at the arms. "Great. You're holding your arms out at me. So wh-" I stopped as a tingling rushed up my neck. It felt as if hundreds of spiders were hurrying up and down my spine. The thought alone made me shiver.

"This might hurt a little," the annoyingly nasal voice of Bill said.

"What's that sup-" I was cut off as every pore of my body erupted in flames. I don't know if they actually did, but it certainly felt like it, and I couldn't look to see anyway, seeing as I had collapsed to the ground, screaming in pain.

_This might hurt a little_. Biggest bleedin' understatement of the century. Honestly, what is it with this town and understatements? _Weird_. No kidding. _Backwater_. About as backwater as New York, at least by cryptid standards. And now this!

Ye gods, what was the world coming to?

Dipper's P.O.V.

"Stanley, what's that light on top of the falls?" I asked.

"What?" Stanley asked. He peered out of the car window. "What light?"

I looked at the top of the falls. Strange, I was sure that a light had briefly illuminated the top of the falls. Was my mind playing tricks on me? No, there it was again, as bright as a firework.

"Stanley, you might want to see this," I said.

Stanley sighed. "Fine, kid, I'll look at the top of the falls if you want me t-" He broke off as the light appeared over the falls a third time.

"Where's Elia?" my grandfather asked.

I shrugged. "She didn't come trick-or-treating with us…"

"Ya know, that reminds me of that triangle guy, Bill something-or-other," Mabel said.

"Bill Cipher?" Stanley said.

"Yeah, him!"

"Didn't you blow him up with a box of fireworks?" Pacifica asked.

"Yup!" Mabel said. "The light just reminds me of him."

Meanwhile, I was thinking furiously. Last summer, the isosceles triangle-shaped yellow dream demon Bill Cipher had entered Grunkle Stan's mind on a mission from Gideon Gleeful, and had later tried to destroy Journal 3 using my body. After forcibly ejecting him, Mabel had seemingly destroyed him with a box of illegal fireworks Stan had given her by chance. However, there was always the possibility of him having survived…

"Stanley, do you have something I could use to get to the top of the falls quickly?" I asked.

"Sure, why?" the Author replied.

"No time to explain, can I just use it really quickly?"

Stanley pulled over to the side of the road, got out of the car, pulled out a pair of shoes from his satchel, and handed them to me. "Rocket shoes," he said. "They're fuel guzzlers, so…" His mouth formed an _o_-shape. "...so how 'bout I come with you?"

I had guessed that my grandfather would eventually guess what I was about to do, so I said "Yes", tying the laces of the rocket shoes.

**Cue dramatic/creepy violin music.**

**Yay for cliffhangers! Yeah, I brought back Bill (ha ha, onomatopoeia), but that was because I just can't bring myself to think that a bunch of fireworks is enough to kill the omniscient dream demon we all know and despise. And yes, Elia is the Llama on the Bill Cipher wheel, or so I have it. Feel free to provide suggestions for later chapters in the reviews.**


	6. Chapter 6

**Well, that last chapter certainly was interesting, wouldn't you say? Hey, guys, SP here with another chapter in this fanfic. Hope you hate Bill even more!**

Elia's P.O.V.

Pain. Mind-numbing pain. Pain so horrible that I was sure that my flesh would strip itself from my bones, that my bones were on fire, that my very soul was being torn apart. I howled in agony, digging my fingers into my palms. I could dimly hear the pyramid's insane laughter, but I gave it no thought. I was in too much agony to give anything much thought.

The pain seemed to go on for hours, days...years. And then, suddenly, surprisingly, it was over. I collapsed to the ground, sobbing brokenly.

The insane laugh of the pyramid wormed itself into my ears. I opened my eyes, and, through the haze of remembered pain, saw, not the triangle, but a man, floating exactly where the triangle had been. He had a black top hat, yellow hair, a goatee, a triangular eyepatch, and a long yellow overcoat. He was grinning insanely with pointed teeth.

Bill (that was his name, I dimly remembered), cackled again. Blue fire crackled around his hands."Ah, human form," he said in that annoyingly nasal voice. "It's been too long."

I couldn't hold my head up any longer. I curled up into a ball, shuddering with the remembered pain, crying softly.

Dipper's P.O.V.

As Stanley and I flew towards the top of the cliff, I began to hear a horrible, twisting keen of agony. What made it worse was that I could guess who's throat it was coming from. Along with it, as an undertone, was a high-pitched, insane, familiar laugh.

As I neared the top of the cliff, the keen trailed off. My heart froze to think of what had happened. A cackle drove the point even further home.

I cleared the top of the cliff, and gasped in horror. It was worse than I had imagined.

Elia was curled up in a ball, obviously alive, but for how long, I didn't know. And Bill… Well, Bill was a human. Which was bad. Very, _very_ bad.

Bill caught sight of me. His smile faltered

"Pine Tree," he spat. "Why is it always you and - _Glasses?_" he screeched as he saw Stanley.

"Hello, again, Bill," Stanley said coldly. "It's been a while."

Bill was opening and closing his mouth like a fish, speechless. With each passing second, he looked more and more perplexed.

I flew down to Elia. She was shivering, sobbing. Something about her had changed. I didn't know what exactly had changed; I just knew something had.

I shook Elia. She didn't respond, just curled over and went on crying.

"You've gone too far this time, Bill," Stanley said. "I can't allow you to terrorize Gravity Falls any longer."

Bill finally found his voice. "Oh, you won't allow me," he said mockingly. "Oh, the man won't allow me to terrorize a town he's been away from for thirty years." He laughed mirthlessly. "You know I don't care what you allow and what you don't, Glasses. It's far too late for that."

Suddenly, I felt Elia stir beneath my outstretched hand.

Elia's P.O.V.

I knew it was Dipper, even though I couldn't see him. He always had a soft, awkward touch. That touch started me remembering.

I remembered all of the times I'd been teased in the past thirteen years. I remembered all of the times I'd been bullied. I remembered all of the times my parents had argued, had hit me. I remembered all of the lonely nights spent with a knife. I remembered all of the sadness, the pain, the reasonless guilt, the shame I had felt.

It all ended now.

I could hear Stanley and Bill arguing. Good. It meant that Bill was preoccupied. I shifted my weight, lifting myself onto my forearms. I winced as the rocks dug through the bandages and into the healing cuts, but the pain drove me on. I opened my eyes and focused on Bill. Somehow, I didn't know how I knew, attacking him would allow me to rise above my previous feelings.

A low growl started in my throat. I could hear Dipper scooting away. Smart. He could at least guess what was about to happen.

I felt the growl deepen to a full-on snarl. I pushed myself onto all fours, still focusing on Bill, all my negative feeling building up before a massive dam. Then, with a nudge, I sent that dam crashing down.

A bellow of incandescent rage exited my mouth. I launched myself at an unsuspecting and very surprised Bill, slamming my limbs into anywhere I could get them. The demon-turned-human crashed to the ground, me still on top of him.

All the bad experiences I had kept up cooped inside of me were pouring into this one attack. It may be futile, but at least I could derive some sick pleasure from it while it last-

Bill grabbed me by the front of my shirt and pulled me close to his face. It wasn't a pleasant sight; blood poured from Bill's nose, a few of his teeth were missing, and the area around the eye not covered by an eyepatch was puffy.

"How?" he snarled in my face, spit flying. "_How did you do this to me?_"

"I'm a human, and I know what human weaknesses are." I chuckled smugly. "Anyway, you said it yourself, mate; llamas were always stubborn." Then I spit in his eye.

Bill screamed and dropped me, holding his eye. I fell to the ground, and collapsed; my legs were too weak to support me. Bill held his eye, screaming in pain.

"Elia, back away from Bill," Stanley said. "He's still dangerous-"

Bill thrust out his left hand. A blue fireball shot from it - straight towards, not me, but Stanley. I saw the blast out of the corner of my eye, and, unconsciously, leapt towards it.

Time seemed to slow down. I could see Dipper reaching for me with his mouth open, Stanley looking towards me, and the blast of fire moving, always moving.

"Lok'tar," I said, before my world was encased in blue.

**Yup, Elia just leapt in front of a fireball meant for Stanley. Will she make it, or won't she? Keep in touch, and please review! SP out.**


	7. Chapter 7

**Good evening/morning/whatever-the-hell-it-is-outside-your-window. SP here with yet another chapter of this fanfic. Hope you enjoy. Warning: this chapter is a little sad.**

Dipper's P.O.V.

It had been a month since Summerween, and a week-and-a-half since Elia was declared clinically dead. Today was her funeral.

The funeral was a small, quiet affair, which made it all the more heartbreaking. No one's eyes were completely dry when Elia's coffin was laid into the ground. As someone began to fill in the hole, a storm blew in. The clouds were massive and near black, the rain pouring down in sheets, a 'perfect storm cloud', as Elia would have said. Sure enough, a flash of lightning and the answering peal of thunder made everyone jump.

When the grave was filled in, people began laying flowers and a few knick-knacks that Elia would have liked on her gravestone. Mabel put a whole bouquet of lilies on Elia's gravestone before hurrying to the car, sobbing. Pacifica put a beautiful turquoise pendant and a strangely-carved stick of wood on the gravestone before turning away, blowing her nose. The last person to pay respects, I put a small llama doll on the slab of rock. I sniffed and walked back to the car. As we left, I saw a dark form slide out from behind a mausoleum, hurry over to Elia's gravestone, and kneel down.

The drive back to the Mystery Shack was silent save for Mabel's crying and my sniffs. The Stan twins were dead silent, which wasn't natural for anyone who knew Grunkle Stan. As I looked out of the car window, my mind wandered.

Would Elia remain here on Earth as a ghost? Would her consciousness live on, in some other way, shape, or form? Would I ever meet Elia, or someone like her in this life like her, again?

I could hear Elia's huffing chuckles. "Dipper, Dipper, Dipper. Don't worry your little head off. In a way, I _will_ live on, though not in the fashion that you might want; inside everyone who knew me and called me friend. I've touched your life, Dipper, as I've touched few other lives. You will always remember me, even if you knew me for only a few months, because I was one of the few people you could confide in. The same goes for Pacifica. Perhaps, just perhaps, I was a kindred soul to the both of you.

"Meet me again, in this lifetime? Hey, _hakuna matata_. We'll see something of each other soon enough, don't you worry. Until then, mate, be strong for me. Keep up the good work. Tell Mabel I always liked her."

I smiled sadly. Typical Elia, somehow getting a message to...me… Hang on, why did Elia's voice sound so raspy?

I swore quietly and looked around. Mabel and Grunkle Stan were both staring at me. I groaned.

"Please tell me I'm not thinking what I'm thinking," I asked. They still looked at me, befuddled. I swore again and reached for my phone. Sure enough, there was a new voice message from a phone number named Ima L. Ama.

I facepalmed, chuckling in spite of myself. Elia had probably called me before...what happened on the cliffs. I checked the time the message was sent.

It was two minutes ago.

**Mwahahahahahahahaha! I literally laughed evilly when I finished that chapter. Because, honestly, which of you doesn't want to know what's going to happen next?**

**This is SP, signing off...until next time.**


	8. Chapter 8

**Why, hello there, fellow mortals! SP here, with another chapter in this riveting story of mine.**

Pacifica's P.O.V.

I was sitting in Elia's old hideout, fingering the blade of the axe I had gotten at last year's Northwest party, when I heard the creak of a door opening. I was up in an instant, axe clutched in both hands.

I could hear someone breathing outside the bedroom. I gripped the axe tighter and called, "Wh-who are you?"

"Ah," a raspy voice said. "Pacifica. I should've known, as you're the only person currently considered alive who know of this place, but we all have our mess-ups." A huffing chuckle caught my ear.

I knew that chuckle. It was impossible. She was dead. Of course, there was always the possibility of her coming back as a ghost, but…

"May I come in?" the raspy pseudo-voice of Elia MacGibbon asked.

"Er…" I said.

The door opened, and Elia entered. She was dressed in her typical slightly-too-large-for-her dark gray trenchcoat and ivy cap, and had a pair of large opaque glasses on and was carrying a cane.

"How did you know I was a Harry Potter fan?" she asked without preamble.

"What?" I asked. This was completely unexpected.

"The Elder Wand on my gravestone," Elia said. "That was you, wasn't it?"

I gaped for a second before realizing what my friend was talking about. "Oh, well, I saw you in school reading it, and I knew that you said you were a Capricorn, and I also knew that your birthday was on December 22nd…" Elia leaned on her cane, and I realized that I was babbling. "Well, I went and got a copy of the Elder Wand and put it on...your gravestone," I finished awkwardly, knowing that I was blushing.

Elia chuckled and looked down. "Have you ever actually _read_ Harry Potter?"

"Er...no," I said defensively, "but I've seen the movies!"

Elia sighed. "_Et tu,_ Bruté, _et tu_? Here," she said, walking over to a bookshelf that I hadn't noticed before. "Here. This is a copy of _The Sorcerer's Stone_. Read it." The whatever-it-was tossed a book at me.

I looked at the book, looked at Elia, then looked back at the book. "Are you a ghost?"

Elia chuckled and came over to me. I noticed that she had a definite limp. "Wouldn't you just love to know?" she asked. "I'm sure you would. However…" She trailed off, smiling at me.

"What?" I asked.

"That's for me to know, and you to find out. Sorry about this, but it's necessary." I saw a blur of movement out of the corner of my eye. Before I could move, there was a small flash of pain, and everything went black.

**Before I sign off for the time being, I would like to respond to a review I got from AlecReyes20. Alec, if you're wondering, the song is mostly in Irish. You might've guessed that already if you'd watched **_**Brendan and the Secret of Kells**_**. If you haven't seen that movie yet, I highly suggest it. And '**_**scheiẞe'**_ **is German. If anyone doesn't believe me, look it up.**

**Until next time, folks. SP out.**


	9. Chapter 9

**Hey, guys, SP's back with another chapter. First things first, however, Friday had the most views (barely) of any one day of viewing on this fanfic. Thank you so much for reading my fanfic, more thanks to those who favorited the story, and even more thanks to those who reviewed. You guys are amazing.**

Dipper's P.O.V.

"So we don't know if Elia's alive or not."

"Right."

The cane certainly was real." Pacifica put the pack of ice back on her temple.

"Dudes, what if Pacifica saw a ghost? That would be, like, so strange."

"Well…" I thought back to the dark figure I'd seen race to Elia's grave. "When I was leaving the cemetery after...what happened, I saw someone or something hurry to...her grave. A few minutes later, I got this message." I replayed the message on my phone.

Everyone looked at me for a second.

"Dude, that's, like, really creepy," Wendy said.

"Wait," Soos said. "If the person called you after the funeral, and you saw a dark figure, could it be a prank call?"

Mabel shook her head. "If it was, then it would've been impossible for the caller to know what Dipper was doing at the time, and they'd have to know Elia as well."

"Oh, yeah."

Pacifica agreed with Mabel. "That voice sounds like the voice of the thing that looked like Elia."

I looked over the map of Gravity Falls again. "So, there was a sighting of a creature at the cemetery." I pointed at the tack that I had stuck in the cemetery. "Then, a few minutes later, I get a call from someone who sounds like Elia." I pointed to the tack on the road. "Then, a week later, Pacifica has a supernatural visit from a being that had the general appearance and personality of Elia." I pointed at the tack on where Pacifica told me Elia's old hideout was.

"She threw a book at me," Pacifica said.

"Maybe we should go to the cemetery and check out Elia's gravestone."

We all cheered that one until I ran the voice through my head. As everyone else had gone quiet, they were thinking the same thing.

That wasn't one of our voices.

I checked my phone. Nope, no new messages. Whoever the raspy voice had belonged to, they were in this room.

"Hey, who has that raspy voice?" Grunkle Stan asked, poking his head into the room. We all shrugged.

A familiar soft, huffing chuckle caught our ears. "Ye gods, it's the same as in the movies. No one ever looks _up_."

Slowly, everyone's gazes turned to the ceiling. We all squawked with shock; a body was braced on the ceiling, smiling face downwards. It was Elia's body.

Well, not _exactly_ Elia's body. On closer inspection, I saw that the body - girl - had slightly bluer skin, longer hair with yellowish-orange hair at her temples, hollow cheeks and shadowed eyes; the girl was wearing a pair of large opaque spectacles. A cane hung from her right wrist.

The girl pushed off with her feet. For a moment, she held on with her hands, and then she fell onto the couch. She groaned in pain and pulled the cane off of her wrist.

"Ah, my back," the girl grumbled in her raspy voice, rubbing her back, "my poor back. Ah, my leg's going to be hell." The person stepped off of the couch and spat, "_Scheiẞe!"_ She gripped her left leg, face grimacing.

"Dude, how'd you get in here?" Wendy asked.

"Door," the girl said, groaning and limping forward. "How else? Besides the window."

"'Sup?" Soos asked.

"Nothin' much," the person replied. "You?"

Soos chuckled. "Nothin' much," he echoed. "Just, you know, trying to figure out if one of my best friends is alive or not…"

Stan and I both facepalmed. When I took a good look at the person up close, I saw that she was bony, with hands that trembled slightly.

"Who _are_ you?" I asked.

The girl gave a hollow laugh. "I'm a dead girl," she said. "Well, I'm not actually dead, but everyone thinks I'm dead, so I might as well be dead." She winced and rubbed her back.

"But you're dead," Pacifica pointed out. "I s-saw you d-die!"

"What?" the girl asked. "I said I was dead!"

"You don't look dead," Mabel pointed out.

The girl looked at herself. "I guess I don't, do I? Hmm. Irking."

Behind the girl, I saw Stanley sneak into the room wearing a gas mask with tinted-red eyes.

"How do I explain this to you?" the girl asked, completely unaware of the Author's presence.

When Stanley got up behind her, he put his face close to hers, tapped her on the right shoulder, and whispered something in her ear. What happened next would stay with me to the grave.

**Sorry I took a bit for updating, but I had things to do. Have a good time! SP out for this chapter!**


	10. Chapter 10

**Hey, guys, I'm back!**

Elia's P.O.V.

It was simple, really.

I actually did die, don't get me wrong. Of course, my spirit didn't depart so quickly. Oddly enough, it found its way to McGucket's lab, and he found a way to return my spirit to my vessel. As he said it though, "This might hurt a little."

It did. More than a little. Fortunately, I survived. Ish.

McGucket found a way to get into the morgue and give me clothes. After that, I got up. Of course, I was in exceeding pain the whole way until I found a cane to lean on, but…

Anyway, I was sorting through the graveyard, looking for a good 'name' for myself, when I saw a group of black-clad people enter the graveyard and do a funeral. As the last people left, I hurried to the grave. I shuddered as I saw that it was mine.

My heart was in my throat as I saw what people had put onto my grave; a bouquet of lilies, a llama doll, and a copy of a wand from Harry Potter were on top. I knew who had put at least one of these things onto my grave; thus, I called him. I shuddered inwardly at the sound of my voice; harsh, scratchy, unused in days. Still, I called Dipper, guessing what he was thinking.

A week or so later, I was poking around my old hideout when I saw who else but Pacifica Northwest walk into my old hideout. I'd all but forgotten about it in my post-death haze, so I crept after her. I sat for half an hour without Pacifica knowing of my presence, and then I decided to intrude.

Did you know that it's actually a little frightening to have the person who's probably the only person in the entire multiverse that understands you suddenly turn an axe on you? Well, it is. And I barely managed to cover that up fast enough. _Scheiẞe_, what was the world coming too? Something where I had to play a different role, that's for sure.

Anyway, I managed to actually sneak into the Mystery Shack - which is a feat in and of itself, let me tell you - and brace myself in the ceiling beams. I watched as a meeting of the Mystery Gang (Dipper, Mabel, Pacifica, Soos and Wendy, as well as Senior Stan) took place below me. Then I decided to take a little risk.

They looked happy to see me.

**Another chapter gone! Don't worry, McGucket's going to be here soon enough.**

**Sorry this was a bit of a short chapter, the next one's going to be longer, I swear.**


	11. Chapter 11

p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongHey, guys, what's up (besides the ceiling)? I'm back!/strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Pacifica's P.O.V./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""That was a cruel joke, Junior, really cruel."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Elia's voice was a higher pitch than normal. She gripped a cup of Pitt with trembling hands, knuckles white./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Well, I had to find out if you were, well, you," Stanley replied./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Fine way to go about it. I nearly died! Again!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"The Stan twins shared a chuckle. "emYou/em half-killed me," Stanford said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Yeah," Mabel agreed./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""How'd you get inside the Shack without any of us noticing?" Dipper asked./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Elia tapped her finger on her temple. "Oh, I know lots of things."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Dipper, Mabel, and the Stan twins all groaned. "Lots of things," they chorused."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Dude, I've never seen anyone move so fast into the Shack," Soos said, changing the subject./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Especially on four legs," Wendy added. "How'd you do that?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Elia shuddered. She adjusted her glasses before spilling the beans. "My parents installed a pet door on the door of my room so that they could put food in when they were...arguing. One night, when they were arguing, I tried to squirm out. Surprisingly, I could move almost as fast on four legs as on two."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"I sighed. "Kinda like me," I said, looking down. "Except that I couldn't get out."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Mabel put her arm around me. "It's okay, Pacifica. You're not there anymore."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""And thank Odin for that!" Elia called./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Everyone looked at her./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""What?" she asked, color returning to her face. "Can't I give thanks to the Norse gods?"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Can you do something for me, Elia?" Dipper asked. "Never change."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Impossible," Elia retorted immediately. "Everyone changes. It's a fact of nature; nothing ever stays the same forever. Even Gravity Falls."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""My point exactly."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Uhh, dudes?" Soos said, looking at the TV. "You might want to see this."/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Everyone looked at the TV to see a public service announcement:/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"emGideon Gleeful has escaped prison, along with several other inmates/em./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Gideon?" I said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Isn't he that kid psychic guy that had that big robot thingamajig last summer?" Elia said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Yep," Dipper said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Great. Gideon's out," Stanford growled./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Here we go again," Mabel groaned./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"I shared a look with Elia and Stanley. They shrugged./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""What's going to happen?" I asked./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""The usual," Dipper said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Gideon trying to steal the Shack," Mabel said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Stealing my conditioner," Wendy said./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Trying to get a Journal," Stanford said. He laughed. "Good thing we destroyed them!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Elia chuckled. "Well, that's what I get for dyin'. Crazy kid tryin' to get the Shack, several dangerous inmates on the loose with him, and all my friends in the world are in a tourist trap." She sighed, grinning. "emC'est la vie/em." She looked around at everyone. "Well? What are we waiting for? Gideon's coming with a bunch of thugs to try and take the Shack! Let's organize defenses!"/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""Get combat glitter!" Mabel yelled./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;""...yeah, that too," Elia said hesitantly./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"I chuckled. I had to admit, everyone in the room was weird. But hey, it's Gravity Falls; just north of normal, just west of weird. You couldn't really expect anything exactly normal here. Heck with it, the word emnormal/em doesn't pertain to Gravity Falls, Oregon at all. Or anywhere or anyone./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"Does normalcy even truly exist? I guess I'll never know. But if it does, I'm sure that the line between it and weirdness is covered in jellyfish./p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongWell, that's all I'm going to say for now. Reviews are always helpful./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongThis is SpellPiper2213, signing off./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongOh, before I go, update on sequel: May or may not happen. I like the ambiguous ending, but I'm getting a request or two to make one. I don't know if that'll happen or not, what with schoolwork and stuff, but I'll try. Until we meet again, my friends whom I haven't met! May thine weirdness spill over the line covered in jellyfish into normalcy! Live long and prosper./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"strongAnd now, for real, good night. Or afternoon. Or morning. Or whenever-the-hell you're reading this at./strong/p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;" /p  
p style="max-height: 999999px; font-family: Verdana, Verdana, Arial; font-size: 13px;"This message has been approved by the Demonic Council of the Pyramid over What was Formerly Known as Gravity Falls./p 


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